HOUSTON (March 17, 2005) — Despite major changes to education curriculum in recent years, term papers have survived the transition to the 21st century classroom. In fact, the majority of students write up to six papers per year (National Survey of Student Engagement, 2004). Multiply that by the 12 to 14 hours of research time that 56 percent of students spend on each assigned paper, and it is clear that research papers are still very much a part of the average student’s life (Student Monitor, 2000).
Depending on their topics, students may have millions of sources from which to choose research material. Fortunately, technology is now available to bring an overwhelming number of trusted sources — and content within those sources — to the fingertips of students anytime, anywhere. Questia Media, Inc., the largest online academic library of reference books, gives students the freedom to do all of their research online, eliminating late-night trips to the library and avoiding late fees and checked out books.
A recent analysis of page views of Questia’s hundreds of thousands of subscribers provides a revealing look at what topics and sources are providing research paper fodder for students nationwide.
Questia’s Top 10 Most Frequently Read Books of 2004:
“These results are very telling. If these are the materials most often accessed, we can safely surmise that favorite research paper topics are falling in areas at the forefront of the news media and public consciousness — with social issues and ethical debates rising to the top,” said Questia CEO Troy Williams, who first conceived the idea for an online resource library as a frustrated Harvard student forced to trek across the university’s many satellite libraries in search of sources.
Today, many students use a combination of online research and traditional research at public and private libraries. Since its launch in 2000, 75 percent of Questia subscribers received a better grade researching on Questia. Eighty-eight percent of the subscribers saved time on their paper using Questia (Questia Subscriber Survey, January 2002).
Questia transforms a student’s learning experience by bringing a vast scholarly library to each student’s desktop and enabling them to instantly search every word of 20 million pages of quality text down to the specific sentence or phrase needed. In addition, Questia offers students 24/7 access to academically vetted books and articles via the Internet.About Questia
Questia Media, Inc. provides the world's largest online academic library and research resource. Students, instructors, and lifelong learners in more than 190 countries use Questia's collection of full-text, copyrighted and public domain books and articles for scholarly research.
A digital toolkit enables researchers to highlight text, properly cite passages, and automatically generate bibliographies and footnotes. In addition, Questia provides a personalized workspace for each user, complete with an individual bookshelf and reference resources. Designed for use by educators and students to enhance curricula, the Questia service also includes a course management system that integrates the digital library content into the classroom.
Questia's unlimited, 24/7 access allows researchers to simultaneously use every item in its online, scholarly library from any connected corner of the world.
Founded in 1998, Questia Media is based in Houston. For more information, visit http://www.questia.com.